Coupling for shackle-rods.



M1845, PATENTED FER-26, 1907.

A. M. & w. B. KLEGKNER.

COUPLING FOR SHAGKLE RODS.

AIPLIOATION FILED JAN. 24 1906.

suuantou u av w ms NORRIS PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ASAPH M. KLEOKNER AND WILLIAM B. KLECKNER, OF CANEY, KANSAS.

COUPLING FOR SHACKLE-RODS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1907.

T0 in whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, AsAPH M. KLEoKNER and WILLIAM B. KLECKNER, citizensof the United States, residing near Caney, in the county of Montgomeryand State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements inCouplings for Shackle-Rods of Oil-VVells, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to couplings for shackle-rods of oil-wells.

In the operation of oil-wells it is customary to drive the wellmachinery of several wells from a common power-station arranged as nearequidistant from the wells as possible, the means of connection betweenthe wells and pow er station being in the form of a continuousshacklerod. Vfith the constructions and apparatus now in use should anyof the shackle-rods or any of the well machinery break or should itbecome necessary to reduce the pumping capacity of a well the pumpingsystem, including the power-station, would have to be stopped and theobvious difliculties experienced. By the present invention when theseexigencies arise any one of the series of pumps may be disconnected fromthe pow er and repaired without interfering with the operation of theothers. To these ends the shackle-rod is divided at an intermediatepoint and the adjacent ends connected by a coupling member which isconstructed to be readily coupled and un coupled from one part of theshackle, the strain and pull on the rod and coupling incident to theweight of the well machinery be ing arrested by a portable buffer-block,which may be interposed between the coupling and an abutment or guide todetach one part of the rod.

The detail construction and arrangement of parts will be betterunderstood by reference to the following description and to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of asystem of pumps and the power-station therefor, showing the relativepositions of the parts. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the couplingmember applied to the shackle-rod. Fig. 3 is a similar view, on anenlarged scale, the coupling member being inverted. Fig. 4 is an endelevation of the coupling member, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofthe bufferblock detached.

Making renewed reference to the drawings, and first to Fig. 1, 5designates a power-station from which all of the wells 6 are driven,

the wells being disposed around the powerstation, which is as nearequidistant from the wells as possible. 7 designates .the shacklerods,which are connected at one end to the well machinery of the wells 6, theweight of the well machinery exerting a pull upon the rod to draw itaway from the connection with the power or engine 5, the latter servingto alternately draw said shackle-rods in an opposite direction to thatexerted by the weight of the well machinery and lift the sucker-rod inthe well or operate valves or other, parts, as the case may be. All ofthese constructions are common in oil-well systems and are onlydescribed here for the purpose of enablmg those skilled in the art tounderstand the construction and association of our improvements.

The present invention comprehends instrumentalities by which one or moreof the wells may be thrown out of operation independently of the othersand without affecting the work of the power-station, and with thisobject in view we contemplate dividing the shackle-rod into two parts,which may be designated as 8 and 9 in Figs. 2 and 3, the part 8 beingconnected with the power or engine 5 and having an eye 10 formed in theend thereof, the part 9 being connected with the well and having its endclamped or secured to a coupling member 11, the end of which is adaptedto engage with the eye 10 of the part 8 and couple the part together.This coupling member 11 preferably consists of two parts separablelongitudinally and constituting a clamp for the part 9 of the shackle.As shown in Fig. 4, the clampingplates 12 12 are provided withcoincident grooves 13 13, preferably arranged axially of the coupling,and into which the end or ends of the shacklerods may be inserted. Thetwo clamping-plates are held together by means of bolts and nuts 14. Atone end the clamp is provided with a broad fiat head 15, and at itsother end each plate is formed with a hook 16, the bend of which isdirected d'wnwardly when in use, but in the drawing in Fig. 3 it isshown as extending upwardly simply for the purpose of betterillustration. The eye 10 in the part 8 of the shackle-rod is engaged bythe hook 16, and the free end of the part 9 of the shackle-rod isclamped between the plates 12, the end of the part 9 be ing shoved farenough up in the couplingto give proper tension to the rod and preventsagging and accidental disengagement of the hook 16 with the eye 10, andwhen the power of the engine 5 draws upon the part 8 of the shackle-rodthe coupling member 11 and the part 9 are also drawn in the directionindicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 to raise the pump-rod. At thecompletion of the stroke of the engine the weight of the pump-rod willdraw back the shackle-rod and its coupling, and upon this return strokethe head 15 of the coupling member closely approaches an abutment orguide 17, in which the rod is guided. In case it becomes necessary tothrow one of the buffer-block 18 (shown best in Fig. 5 as consisting oftwo side pieces 19 and an upper central piece 20) is inserted over therod with one end against the abutment 17, as shown in Fig. 2. Vvhen theheadof the coupling 11 contacts with the other end of the bufferblock,as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the stroke of the coupling-and theshackle-rod will be arrested by coming to a sudden stop, and the part 8will loosen from its engagement with the hooks 16 and drop to theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. One of the pumps is now out ofoperation and may be repaired Without interfering with the operation ofthe other pumps. It will be obvious that the part 8 may be convenientlyconnected with the coupling 11 when it is desired to start again thepump, and the bufferblock 18 is then removed. In case a shacklerod isbroken the broken ends may be drawn together by securing a coupling toeach end of the broken rods and then passing a rope over the hooks anddrawing the couplings toward each other, the ends of the rods previouslybeing extended beyond the hooked ends of the couplings, so that they maybe repaired by welding or otherwise permanently coupled together. Thisadaptation and use is shown at A in Fig. 1, wherein the couplings 11 arearranged with their hooked ends toward each other and a rope or cord aengaged therewith.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is"

1. The combination with a two -part pumps out of operation a'shackle-rod, and an abutment and guide therefor, of a coupling for theparts of the shackle-rods comprising two clamping-plates between whichthe end of one part of the shackle-rod is clamped, each of said plateshaving a hook on one end to engage the end of the other part of theshackle-rod and also having a head on its other end, and a bufferblockadapted to be positioned upon the shackle-rod between the abutment andthe head of the coupling to limit the stroke of the latter and releaseit from engagement with a last-mentioned part of the shackle-rod, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a two -part shackle-rod, and a combined guideand abutment therefor, of a coupling constructed and arranged to clampone end of one part of the shackle-rod and having a detachableconnection with the end of the other part of the shackle-rod, and meanspositioned upon the shackle-rod between the abutment and the couplingfor limiting the stroke of the latter and automatically releasing itfrom engagement with the last-mentioned part of the shacklerod.

3. The combination with a two -part shackle-rod, and a detachablecoupling therefor, of a combined guide and abutment on which theshackle-rods are supported, said abutment being located adjacent to thecoupling, and a bifurcated butler-block adapted to straddle theshackle-rod with one end engaging with the abutment, whereby, when thecoupling contacts with the other end of the bufl'erblock, the movementof the latter will be arrested to permit the parts of the shackle-rod tobe disconnected, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we a'fliX our signatures in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ASAPH M. KLECKNER. IVILLIAM B. KLECKNER. Witnesses to Asaph M. Kleckner:

O. E. I/VINKLER, V ERGIE A. ARCHER. Witnesses to W. B. Kleckner:

CLYDE MURRAY, F. M. KLEGKNER.

